


with his luck...

by SalazarTipton



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bullying, Field Trip, Gen, MJ is a Good Bro, Stark Tower, Training, Trans Peter Parker, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-07-16 13:58:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/pseuds/SalazarTipton
Summary: Peter tries to feel upset about missing the field trip, but can’t bring himself to do it. Do his absences a few weeks ago from his ‘internship’ a.k.a. helping Wanda and Clint with a mission in Boston, he ended up missing the initial announcement of where they’re going. He’s asked Ned and MJ a few times where the trip is to, but neither of them would budge, claiming the surprise would be so worth it. With the smirk on MJ’s face each time, he wasn’t so sure they meant it was worth it for him...[a field trip to stark tower, of course!]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever mcu fic so please go easy on me! i've been reading through _all_ of the peter field trip trope fics i could find and couldn't get the ideas out of my head, so here's the first one i managed to type out! 
> 
> for the best reading, if you've ever turned off work skins for some reason (they are default on so if you don't know what i'm talking about, don't worry) please turn them back on so you can read the group message texts. 
> 
> group message names:  
> ned = behind the curtain  
> mj = a HERo (yes im excited for captain marvel okay)
> 
> special thanks to my bud jay for helping me with ideas on this one and listening to me ramble <3

 

best people you’ll ever know  
  
behind the curtain  
where are you?  
...  
dude! The bus is leaving in 5  
you promised you’d come today  
S H I T ! i slept in.  i’m so sorry! There’s no way i can make it on time  
at least you have mj??  
a HERo  
  
  
...i deserved that  
try to have some fun and snapchat me? Also, pls stay way from any elevators this trip   
behind the curtain  
i hate you  
a HERo  
he’s frowning at me now. thanks, loser

Peter flops back against his pillow, letting his phone fall on his chest. He swears he set three alarms. Looking over to his desk,  he realizes why they didn’t wake him up. Instead of the alarm clock he built sitting in its normal place on his desk, it’s in pieces on the floor covered in webs.

 

“Guess I hit snooze a little too hard…”

 

At least he gets a day away from Flash, but Ned’s probably going to get it worse than usual without Peter there to pull the bully’s attention. He internally kicks himself. How’s he going to make it up to him? A new lego set? Those are expensive and Peter just got him one for his birthday. If Ned’s upset enough, he might have to pull his trump card and invite him to the Tower to see his lab and the common space. Then he’ll have to warn everyone about how excited Ned can get and _why_ he’s doing this and---ugh! This is too complicated for it being this early. Peter shoves his thoughts away in favor of slipping on his suit to swing over to Stark Industries.

 

He scales the side of his building easily. Climbing over the lip of the roof, he lets out a sigh. No matter how many times he sees the city from so many heights, it still gets him. He loves this place. Peter casts a web across the street to the corner of a building, runs, and leaps off letting it carry his weight through the wide sweeping curve of the corner.

 

Peter tries to feel upset about missing the field trip, but can’t bring himself to do it. Due to his absences a few weeks ago from his ‘internship’ a.k.a. helping Wanda and Clint with a mission in Boston, he ended up missing the initial announcement of where they’re going. He’s asked Ned and MJ a few times where the trip is to, but neither of them would budge, claiming the surprise would be _so_ worth it. With the smirk on MJ’s face each time, he wasn’t so sure they meant it was worth it for him...

 

By the time he crawls onto the balcony of the common space, he’s clear of the anxiety about missing the school trip. In all honesty, Peter’s a little relieved. He’s never had good luck on field trips (or with anything else, really). After a radioactive spider and an elevator of doom, maybe the Universe is trying to protect him.

 

The living room of the common space is empty, but the coffee pot is still warm. He smiles, removing his mask.

 

“Hey, FRIDAY? Could you play my wake up playlist?” he asks while trying to pick between the my-kid’s-an-honor-student mug he gave Tony as a joke and the one shaped like the Spidey logo.

 

“Sure thing, Mr. Parker. You’re here early today. Should I tell Boss?” FRIDAY asks just before a boppy tune starts playing low throughout the room.

 

“Oh, no. Please don’t tell him. I’m just doing my own thing.”

 

“Alright. There is a tour group schedule to see your lab section at 11 A.M. if you wish to be present.”

 

“Yikes. Thanks for the heads up,” he replies. “Looks like I’ll go train first.”

 

Peter takes his time with his coffee and getting clothes out of his room on the floor above, all the while dancing to himself as his current favorite songs follow him throughout the living quarters. It’s nice not having to rush through the day between the bells for once. He heads to the elevator in a t-shirt, workout leggings, and holding his Spidey mug. Steve might have something to say about his caffeine addiction (again), but he’s not here right now so Peter’ll do what he wants. He’s already playing hooky--it’s a rebellious sort of day.

 

The training rooms were all empty. Peter’s never seen them without someone doing something during the day--even if it’s just Clint working on his trick shots or Bucky getting away from everyone for a little while. Peter grins. No one’s here to complain about his music choices!

 

Working out and training on his own isn’t as interesting as it is when someone’s working with him--teaching him--but this way he can let go of the pressure. Okay, the pressure is mainly self-inflicted, but how else was he supposed to treat training with the Avengers when what he did here affected his ability to _save lives_. He’s not worrying about being a good student to them, making every move land perfectly, basically worrying he’s wasting their time. Peter lets his mind just focus on what’s in front of him and the thumping of the music playing low.

 

He let himself focus on the beat and nothing else. It’s so rare for him to just have sounds to himself. Peter always feels weird about reminding the team that their loud music or talking or even laughing can be really hard on his hearing. Coming to the Tower after school, he usually already dealt with way too much stimulation and then everyone would want to talk and train or watch a movie or something. He didn’t get much time to just let his ears and the rest of his senses rest. Pretty much it only happens when he’s alone at home while Aunt May’s working.

  
Peter doesn’t want to bother the team and anyone else, for that matter, about accommodating for him. He always told himself it wasn’t _that bad_ and during a mission or out patrolling, he couldn’t control the volume so he shouldn’t in training. He’s gotta be prepared, right?

 

 

best people you’ll ever know  
  
behind the curtain  
WHYYYY have you never let me see your lab before? You have an AI?!  
a HERo  
too bad you skipped. I’m sure my crisis journal would be filling up by now given all the things flash is saying  
behind the curtain  
where are you anyway? Did you go to school?  
okay probs not. It’d just be a like full day of study hall  
a HERo  
you’re supposed to be listening to this presentation  
behind the curtain  
like you’re one to talk. You’ve been drawing all day  
but pete you should *swing by* stark tower and have lunch with us! I’m sure Flash’s face seeing you walking in like you own the place would be so funny  
a HERo  
and sketch-worthy.

 

Peter’s phone buzzes again and again over on the bench, but he’s ignoring it. Probably just Ned sending him stuff on snapchat, which could totally wait. He’s determined to stay focused (which never happens) on his dodges for ten more minutes.

 

“FRIDAY, start Matrix Simulation,” he says to the room, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt.

 

In front of him, the mats turn slightly blue from the hologram coming up. Peter takes his stance and prepares for the onslaught of projectiles. From the outside, Peter’s movements look so fluid and precise that it might all be some choreography.

 

Peter leans to the right as a bullet comes at him at half-speed only to drop down when a faster one came to where he moved. There’s no time in between projectiles to lose focus or think about anything besides dodging them all. He’s really happy with how this project has turned out. When he first pitched it to Mr. Stark, his mentor hadn’t appreciate another comment about “really old movies,” but let him run with the idea. So far he’s the only one to use it, so the test is calibrated to his movements. If Steve or someone wants to try it, he’ll have to make their own setting, working deflections and cover into the program.

 

Behind him at the wall of windows by the door a tall, thin man stops to consider Peter, glances down the hall smirking, and heads to the other end of the wall to watch. Peter's spidey sense bristles, but he ignores it, thinking it’s from the oncoming holo threats.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was originally just going to be two chapters but i kept getting ideas so who knows just how long this is going to end up now! woohoo!  
> and thanks again to jay for being the best bud and reading this over for me...and also listening to me ramble about all my spider-man ideas
> 
> *tags have been added/editted so please check 'em over before reading in case something was added in you dislike
> 
> ****warning for transphobic comments on flash's part this chapter!

Ned steps out of the bus and lets his head fall back as his eyes trace up the giant Stark Tower in front of him. He doesn’t realize his mouth’s fallen open until MJ elbows him. He’s seen it before, but that’s been from a distance or passing by--never about to  _ go inside _ ! It probably doesn’t even phase Peter anymore with working here and the Avengers and everything, he thinks to himself. 

 

On the outside, being here doesn't seem to do anything for MJ. Her patented aloof expression is right in its place along with her sketchbook. She doesn't spout all the facts she knows about Stark Industries and how it used to be a freaking train wreck (in her eyes) before Pepper Potts took over. Now it's diverse, working with communities, and about a million other things in the plus column. The only thing she says about any of it is that of course the company is flourishing under Ms. Potts, have you seen Stark? MJ keeps to her brand. 

 

They all walk into the building together like a bunch of ducklings behind their teacher, Mr. Harrington, right up to the front desk where a woman is standing with Stark Tablet in her hands. She smiles at them and reaches out to shake Mr. Harrington's hand. 

 

"Midtown Tech? I'm Deepika, your guide for Stark Industries," she says, giving a short wave to the group of teens. "We'll get you set up with your security badges and be on our way in just a moment. Mr. Harrington? May I see your class list to double check who's here?"

 

MJ turns away from the adults, scanning around the large lobby that seems more like a modern architect's dream than a business building. Nothing looks to be too much for  Tony "fucking" Stark. If Peter was here, she'd be gaging at him. Working for their capitalist overlord in a place like this would make her skin crawl each time she came in. 

 

There are various people in different states of dress on a scale between corporate executive and sleepless scientist bustling about. The line for security’s moving quickly as people swipe their badges over on the other side of the room. Ned’s eyes are busy taking in the floors upon floors of open space above them where one of the Iron Man suits is suspended in pieces, but from the right angle, it looks complete. He keeps turning his head from side-to-side, taking in the optical illusion. MJ just shakes her head at him. 

 

Next to a potted ficus, a man with slicked-back, black hair and a green shirt is watching them. She raises an eyebrow at him.The man gives her a smirk and tilts his head. MJ blinks at him, but when she opens her eyes again, he’s gone. After a second, it clicks. 

 

She pulls her pen out from her pocket and titles a fresh page in her sketchbook: Stark Tower Disasters. Ned leans over to see what she's doing and rolls his eyes. 

 

"So, you're just missing one? Which...oh. That's alright. We didn't make him a badge since he already has one. Let's get started then--"

 

"Who did you say has a pass?" Flash bursts out, interrupting their conversation. 

 

Deepika resists the urge to ignore the kid. She was just about to explain security to the group anyway. Her sigh doesn’t go unnoticed by their teacher. 

 

"One of your classmates has an internship here. Mr. Stark doesn't approve of multiple badges per person. We here at SI are striving to lessen our environmental impact whether that be through the sustainable energy provided by the arc reactor or reducing our waste. Also, it would be a security risk," she answers Flash with a perfect customer-service smile in place. 

 

_ Oh gods _ , MJ can feel the annoyance radiating out from the woman, and she doesn't blame her. It's going to be a long day. 

 

"Why are you already assuming it's going to go badly? This is gonna be a fun day! Peter's already putting me down. Don't you jinx us," he says with a pout. MJ just pats his shoulder and underlines the title again. 

 

"When I call your name, please come up here and collect your security badge. These need to be visible...," Deepika explains the security protocols and what to expect from their trip.

 

Ned and MJ keep bombarding their group chat with Peter as they make their way up the tower seeing different labs, prototype displays, and the new arc reactor. So far, MJ’s drawn Flash’s panic when his security badge wouldn’t let him into the elevator, Ned’s excitement looking at the Avengers exhibit, and snapchatted him while he was snapping Peter a picture of the cringe-worth Spider-Man display with his old suit.

 

They step off the elevator onto the 49th floor, following Deepika. She’s answering Abe’s question about Black Widow’s training before joining the “good side,” as he put it, when they walk through a secured door into the gym. 

 

“Oh, they were supposed to be empty,” she says more to herself than the group.

 

“Is Penis wearing leggings? What happened to trying to be a real boy?” Flash says, pointing at the glass. His friends all snicker, goading him on to say more. Before he can, though, their attention is brought back to Peter in the training room as he takes his stance again and readies the simulation. 

 

Loki tilts his head to the side, considering. He steps toward the class and before any of them turn to look at him, he shifts. The slim, masculine frame of Loki’s body shimmers away in favor of her feminine one. Her fitted shirt elongates into something more flowing and tunic length while her boots raise up from the addition of small, two-inch heels on the soles. She pushes her long, wavy hair off her shoulder. The flick of black and green brings one of the kid’s attention to her--the girl from the lobby. She smirks at her. 

 

“What did I just hear you say?” she asks politely enough, but a slip of venom leeches into her tone. 

 

“Uhh, nothing. Just pointing out our classmate that’s clearly breaking the rules,” Flash says, covering himself far better than Ned’s seen him do in the past. Maybe he’s learning adults don’t appreciate asshole kids. 

 

Their eyes flick back to Peter. He takes a swig from his water bottle and does a few jumps, shaking out his arms. He doesn’t notice them despite Flash’s loud comments. 

 

“He’s your classmate?” Deepika asks. 

 

Before anyone can answer, Mr. Harrington makes his way to the front of the group and pulls open the door to the training area. The music breaks out into the lobby area, the beat matching Peter’s bouncing. 

 

“Again, FRIDAY. Let’s take it up a level.” The simulation starts up again on a higher setting causing the teacher to fall back when the projectiles start coming at them. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reeeeading! i'm having so much fun with this one. peter all confident in leggings is my aesthetic btw and i need more of it in my life.  
> lemme know what you think! :D


	3. Chapter 3

The door falls shut after Mr. Harrington stumbles back out and into the group of students. No one pays any mind to his stumbling; all their eyes are focused on their classmate. Peter's body shifts so fluidly it looks like one continuous motion as he dodges the hologram's shots--his leggings show off the tensing of his muscles as he leaps into the air, his loose shirt flowing around him as he spins midair to avoiding a larger piece of shrapnel. When he descends, connecting with the safety mat there's barely an indication or sound. Save three people, the group is standing there, watching, with their mouths hanging open. Dorky, clumsy Peter Parker is performing acrobatic stunts before their eyes with ease. Flash rubs at his eyes and tries to blink away what he's seeing. 

 

Loki crosses her arms and watches. While Peter's form is leaving much to be desired, he gets the job done. The more entertaining part is everyone's reactions. Mr. Harrington looks as if he's accidentally swallowed his own tie. The tour guide is frozen, completely unsure of what's expected of her in this situation. Certainly this wasn't covered in the guidelines. Loki smiles to herself. Stark always looks over the important things. On Asgard they had plans laid out for everything from the Eternal Flame being stolen by Frost Giants to how to clean slime and void out of the Bifrost. 

 

She looks more closely at the students. Most are the same: surprise, awe, looking slightly ill. Then there are the other two, one being the girl from the lobby that spotted her. She's clutching a notebook to her chest and smirking. The boy next to her looks like his expression can't decided between excited and guilt twisting his features into a mess of confusion. Loki makes a mental note of them and decides to learn more about their connection to Peter. Surely there's something more there, maybe something she can tease their Spiderling about later. 

 

Her gaze finally lands on Flash. He's too focused on what's going on in the training room to notice Loki slink up behind him and bend down until her mouth is beside his ear. 

 

"You never answered me, mortal," she hisses out. "What were you saying about my friend Peter here?" 

 

Flash pales, shifting his head to the side in tight increments. She wants to laugh at just how terrified the child looks, but holds her glare. "I--I--nothing. I didn't mean, uh, anything," he stutters out. 

 

Loki tilts her head as he tried to get out the lie. Her black curls cascade off her shoulder and bounce when they fall. "If I learn of you treating Peter--or anyone for that matter--about their gender and expression," she pauses, letting a wicked grin form across her lips. Her long locks shirks back to their original length and let's the face Midgard recognizes to be Loki's morph back into place. "You'll experience discomfort you never knew existed," he finished, tone low and flat. 

 

Behind Flash the simulation ends leaving Peter heaving in breathes. He turns towards the window, heading for the bench and his phone. Instead of looking up, he lifts up the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat away off of his face. A soft  _ oh _ is let out by a girl near the front of the class. 

 

Peter picks up his phone, reading through the long line of messages in his group chat.  _ What do they mean my lab? _ Peter thinks to himself. His face scrunches up trying to understand what’s going on when a tapping on the window pulls his attention. He looks up, finally, to see Ned knocking against the glass and takes in the field of shocked looks on his classmates faces. His mouth opens and closes a few times. 

 

Mr. Harrington cuts off his own shock when he pulls the door open slowly, as if he’s expecting something to come rushing at him. Peter slides his phone into the waistband of his leggings against his hip, freeing his hands to escape or panic  _ or just something! _ He doesn’t know how much they saw, but from the ecstatic smile on Ned’s face he knows it was far too much. 

 

“Parker, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on this trip, not--not doing flips?” his teacher blunders out sounding way more confused than authoritative. 

 

“Um, I…,” Peter says, trailing off. 

 

“I was under the impression he was working today, not following around a gaggle of children through the tower. I believe Peter has better ways to spend his valuable time,” says in a strong, cascading voice. Clearly not a student. 

 

Everyone turns to look who and gulp. Loki, God of Mischief and whatever else, is standing behind Flash with a hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly. Peter looks back and forth between the two feeling way out of his depth. He’s used to muggers and B&Es, not gods and classmates questioning looks. Peter likes being invisible, not at the center of everyone’s attention waiting for him to explain. 

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Peter scurries to grab his half-empty coffee, “I should--uh--get back to…” He trails off his thought in favor of escaping this situation as fast as possible. Mr. Harrington is too preoccupied staring at Loki to stop him. The class parts for him as if they’re too afraid to touch him. Not even Flash tries to shoulder him away. Instead, his daily tormentor looks ready to melt into a puddle. Loki releases his grip on him and smiles at Peter, motioning for him to lead the way. 

 

“Deepika? I’ll be taking over your tour for the time being,” a familiar voice says from the door to the hall in a calm-scary voice Peter’s only heard her use once--when Thor had ‘bridged’ into a top security meeting. Maria Hill is standing in his way sporting a small smile and holding a Stark Pad close to her chest. 

 

“Peter, would you care to join us?” Miss Hill asks, eyeing him thoughtfully. His plans of escape quickly flee his mind. His head drops for a moment in shame before nodding stiffly. 

 

He falls back into the group beside MJ and Ned wishing he was wearing something a little less skintight that had pockets to restrain his fidgeting fingers. MJ looks him up and down for a second as the class starts following Miss Hill towards the elevators. She tugs at the sleeves of her hoodie tied around her waist, handing it to Peter. His fingers gently curl around the fabric. She rolls her eyes at his slow movements and tugs his coffee out of his hands.

 

“Oh, thanks,” he mutters to her. Peter fumbles to get it over his head as fast as he can. When his head pokes back out, he spots her stealing a sip from his mug. 

 

The familiar weight and sensation of the oversized hoodie calms his nerves a little bit. And if being surrounded by the smell of MJ helps too, he tries not to think about it. He curls the ends of the sleeves into his palms and relishes in the coziness. He needs a little comfort if this “meeting” is what he thinks it is. 

 

“Don’t mention it, loser. This is your own fault for not checking your messages.”

 

Peter nods. “Clearly I can’t go ten minutes without talking to you nerds.” 

 

MJ hip checks him lightly. Ned doesn’t say anything. His eyes are set dead ahead on Loki and Miss Hill talking at the front of the group. Peter laughs, bringing a sleeved-hand up to his mouth to muffle it a little. 


	4. Chapter 4

Peter pulls at the hem of MJ’s hoodie, getting it to sit a little lower and away from his hips--hopefully covering some of his butt. While Spider-Man might run about in a skin tight suit,  _ Peter Parker _ ain’t about that life. He has enough issues with his body without flaunting it all for the world to see. From now on, he’s not wearing his leggings anywhere outside the residential sector of the Tower and his apartment...okay, maybe at Ned’s too, but that’s his limit. 

 

Maria leads the group of teenagers in silence into the elevator. The doors close behind Mr. Harrington and the space starts closing in around Peter. He can feel everyone’s glances at him. Cindy isn’t even trying to hide staring at him. Peter pulls at the hem of the hoodie to gain some semblance of a buffer between her stare and the obvious curve of his thighs. 

 

“Uh, where are we going? The guide said next was the robotics lab,” Abe asks. 

 

“Just a small detour. I’m sure you won’t mind once you see the view,” Miss Hill says without looking at any of the students. The elevator starts moving without her having told FRIDAY where to. Her focus remains on the door and Loki, from what Peter can tell from behind her at the back of the cluster of teens. 

 

He jumps when his hip bone vibrates. Peter tugs his phone out from his waistband. There’s a long line of notifications from Tony... _ just great _ . His stomach sinks. Ned finally stops drilling a hole into the back of Miss Hill’s head with his wide-eyed stare in favor of reading the messages over Peter’s shoulder.

 

Mr. Stark  
  
**Today** 9:29 AM  
Why did Fri just tell me you’re in the tower? You should be in school.  
You better answer me, kid. You can’t just skip out on school and I won’t be held responsible when May finds out about this, and yes, she’s going to know. I’m calling her now.  
Peter...  
**Today** 11:42 AM  
DID YOU FORGET YOUR IDENTITY IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET?  


 

 

“Dude, you really need to check your phone more often,” Ned offers with a tight-lipped smile and shrugs. 

 

Miss Hill turns around to give Peter a look, eyebrow-raise and all. She looks ready to snap a neck in half while also having a small smirk at the corner of her mouth making it seem like she finds this whole situation ridiculous, but she’s not one to shirk her orders so she’s rolling with it. 

 

_ Man _ , Peter thinks to himself,  _ I’ve really been spending too much time at the Tower to know the ins-and-out to know what tiny smirks mean in full out sentences... _

 

Peter rolls his eyes, ignoring both her look and Ned’s comment in favor of typing out something that’ll calm Mr. Stark down a bit--although he’s never been very good at eliciting that reaction from his mentor. The last thing he wants right now is Mr. Stark storming in and doing  _ something  _ in front of his classmates. He’s not sure what, but anything he’d do would just add to the overall horrible day he’s been having. Peter doesn’t need more embarrassment on top of the anxiety pulling at his throat and stomach.

 

Mr. Stark  
  
Don’t worry Mr. Stark. Maybe nobody connected the dots...aside from MJ. She’s giving me looks.  
But that’s totes okay. I mean i trust mj a ton and we’re friends. She doesn’t gossip or anything. I’m not worried...well, i’m not worried about her telling anyone  
i am worried about her berating me for not telling her myself  
ANYWAY Miss Hill is here and Loki isn’t even being weird or concerned atm so it’ll probs all just blow over soon  
Wait did you send her down to intervene? Do you know what this ‘meeting’ is about??  


 

 

The elevator gently comes to a stop and after a beat the doors open. Miss Hill steps out first, stepping out of the way to make a headcount as everyone files out into the lobby of floor sixty. The area is all clean lines and dark tiling like most of the other floors. Three separate hallways all lead away from the elevator with turns preventing any of them to see what’s down each path. If Peter wasn’t familiar with the level, it’d look like the start to a maze. 

 

_ Level sixty, level sixty…  _ Peter tries to remember what’s on this floor. It’s the start of Sector Five: the International Sector. One of the corridors is full of meeting rooms, a few comm centers, and the hologram conference room for the Avengers government briefings. Peter’s been down here a few times now to sit in on pre-mission meetings, laying out all the information and details before the team members fly off in the Quinjet.  _ Why would Midtown Tech need just high level rooms?  _

 

Miss Hill leads them away from the hallway Peter was looking at towards the one to the right of the elevators. He swallows down the lump in his throat. He hasn’t been down this way before. His thoughts start running away from him, bringing up anything that could be happening. None of them bring Peter any peace. Instead, he feels more on edge than in the training room with everyone’s stares aimed at his...uh...leggings. He tries to tell himself his spidey sense isn’t going off, so it’s all probably fine, but his body isn’t convinced. 

 

He looks down into the swirls of his coffee wishing he’d just stayed in bed. Why did he have to go and try to be productive with his day? Why couldn’t he just act like any normal teenager and waste the day away in bed scrolling through Instagram and playing games? Today had so much potential this morning. Peter longs for the futon in the back corner of his lab. 

 

Peter flips up his hood hoping the slight muffling of all the whispers around him with help him stop being so on edge. Honestly, he wants to slap himself. He’s in the Tower. Miss Hill is handling whatever is going on with everyone watching him dodge fake bullets. Whether they just think he’s weird or enhanced, he knows logically it’ll all end up fine, but it doesn’t  _ feel like it _ . 

 

He nearly jumps when someone touches his shoulder. With a quick snap, he looks to his right where MJ is looking at him, face blank. She snakes an arm around his shoulders and turns her attention to the windows they’re passing by. Her silent presence helps Peter shakes himself of his spiraling thoughts. 

 

For the first time since the elevator, he sees the group. Miss Hill is explaining some of the rooms they’re passing by with Abe and Cindy hot on her tail, not wanting to miss a word. Ned is on Peter’s other side, hanging onto each little fact as if knowing about the construction of the Tower is going to change his life. Mr. Harrington is in the center of the group looking a little pale. He’s never handled spontaneity well.  _ All these changes plans must be giving him heart palpitations _ , Peter muses. Flash and his friends are right in front of Peter, MJ, and Ned; they’re whispering to each other and try as Peter might not to hear them, he still makes out every word. 

 

“Just wait ‘til the admin office here’s about Penis,” Flash continues on, “he’ll be in detention until he’s finishing grad school.”

 

“You think Peter wants to go to grad school?” 

 

“It’d make sense. I could see him being a doctor in engineering or something. I mean, he’s got an internship here, doesn’t he? Kinda hard to ignore now.”

 

Flash cuts off his friends with a glare. “Would you two listen to yourself? What, you wanna date him or something? Fuck, where was I?” 

 

Peter doesn’t try to stop the his lips from curving into a small smile. He’s always thought Flash’s posse agreed with him on everything--from stupidity or fear, he never knew which. But they consider Peter? And his future? He bites back a chuckle. 

 

No one looks like they’re about to make his day worse, so as long as Tony stays away they should be fine. A whisper of hairs raising on the back on his neck makes him turn, but nothing’s behind them. He scrunches his face, trying to think what would set him off. 

 

_ Where’s Loki?  _ He was in the elevator with them...he must have gotten off too, right? Unless he magicked himself away. 

 

Peter and the god have grown amicable over the year since Thor started having him lag along on his trips to Midgard. At first Peter was a bit skeptical from all the stories the Avengers kept telling him--Clint specifically wanted the guy nowhere near him. After Peter learned the details, he didn’t blame him. He kept his distance, always making sure he wasn’t alone with Loki. Peter didn’t account for outside of the Tower, though. 

 

* * *

 

Sitting up on a rooftop near his school, Peter’s asking Karen what good, cheap food is nearby that probably won’t have a problem with Spider-man picking it up. His patrol only started an hour ago, but he’s already famished due to healing some cuts he earned from a dumb ass trying to break into a home via the fire escape with a shiny, new switchblade in hand. All the slices in his suit were around his arms, so repair wasn’t imperative.  _ Nobody’s going to identify Peter Parker by his biceps, right?  _

 

A hand settles on Peter’s shoulder and he nearly jumps off the building. Before he can wonder how the hell he didn’t notice someone up there, Loki takes a seat beside him. His eyes look over her long hair and change from her usual outfit. She looks as confident as always. Peter gives her a smile, but the gesture was lost behind his mask. 

 

“Hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” she says, settling down next to him and swinging her legs over the lip of the roof, “There’s a manly pissing contest for Mjölnir and I’ve had enough of that folly for a lifetime. Besides, I’m a little unsure how Stark and the others will take me in this form.”

 

“Must be annoying. I’d give you some advice about the gender stuff, but I haven’t even told them I’m trans so...” Peter offers. 

 

Loki stays quiet beside him. They stare out at the noisy city. It’s oddly comfortable. He thinks about how the Tower must be for her, after invading the city, failing, “dying” again, losing her home, and so on. Peter’s heart hurt for her. 

 

“If it were me, it’d feel like Mr. Thor’s kinda showing off how worthy he is for the throne, and how worthy I’m not,” he says just above a whisper. Loki turns to him with a sad smile. 

 

“It does, sometimes. I know he means nothing by it. To him it’s a party trick and an honor. He can be dense, at times, though,” she says, ending with a sigh. “Idiot man. He’s lucky I love him to put up with all his…,” she waves her hand, leaving her thought to interpretation. 

 

“You, uh, you wanna grab something to eat? I’m kinda starving over here and I, uh, kinda wanna keep talking?” Loki considers him for a moment. He feels like shrinking down under her gaze-- _ a god’s (goddess’?) gaze _ . 

 

“I can be persuaded as long as it’s not shawarma.”

 

* * *

 

Since then, they’ve been friendly enough, much to everyone else’s horror--actually included Ned. Turns out his hard line for hero worship is previous villains turned friendlies. Peter doesn’t let it bother him, thought, just like he tunes Ned out when he gets going on a tangent and somehow ends up asking Peter about the dick sizes across the team. Now that had been a weird conversation. 

“You see where Loki went?” Peter turns to Ned to whisper. 

His eyes bulge a little. “You lost him? Dude! We’re totally gonna have a near-death experience now just like on the last trip. Oh man, if we both die, who’s going to inherit the Lego Death Star?”

“Don’t look at me. I have no use for that dust collector,” MJ adds in from his other side, leaning in so the other classmates don’t try and join into their conversation. In doing so, the arm on Peter’s shoulders presses down. He smiles to himself at how comfortable it all feels. 

“If we’re dying today, you will to,” Ned tries to reason. MJ raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Bold of you to assume I can die.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy nanowrimo everyone! who's dying of word counts already? *raises hand*

Being stationed at Stark Tower by Fury was to keep close tabs on the Avengers while the compound is being redesigned. Maria thinks back on the day she was assigned this detail as she leads the group of far too nosy students off to someone to handle this situation so she can get back to her actual work. She’s a trained agent, not a babysitter, dammit! But she keeps her thoughts to herself and walks on down the hall, answering another inconsequential question from one of Peter’s classmates. 

 

She glances back to Peter to make sure he hasn’t tried to flee. Sure enough, he’s still at the back of the group with his friends looking the most uncomfortable she’s seen him since he found out about the _IronSpider_ romance rumors some of the tabloids were running with a few months ago. 

 

They finally reach the end of the long, circular hallway. Maria pulls on the handle of the wide, metal door and ushers the class inside.

 

“All cellphones, tablets, and electronics of any kind must be placed in one of the lockers on the wall. Take the key with you in order to retrieve them as you leave,” she says. 

 

“What’s so top secret that we can’t have anything with us? This place feels like a prison,” Flash asks her, holding his phone a little too tightly. 

 

“This room is used for government-Avengers coordination and other classified meetings. The details of the room are not to be discussed or recalled to anyone. No devices are permitted inside to maintain a secure space, which includes that smart watch on your wrist. Take it off.”

 

Flash rolls his eyes, but unfastens it all the same, placing it in the small cubby on top of his phone. Maria watches him lock it away and looks over the other students. Peter is quickly typing away on his phone with his brow scrunched together in either concentration or worry. She's betting on the latter. 

 

Over the comms, she can hear Tony's position changing as he makes his way from his lab to this floor. Poor kid's about to get a talking to. She doesn't blame Tony for freaking out over this (although it was inevitable no matter what Peter wished), but that doesn't stop her heart for hurting a little for the kid. 

 

He's never been anything but awkward, far too polite, and stubborn in Maria's experience. Peter has a way of growing on people--just ask any of the other Avengers. Hell, even Fury tries to make the kid's life easier sometimes when it comes to debriefings and his school schedule, not that Peter knows it. The whole team and extended members that have met him all care about him. Who knew all it took was one kid from Queens to turn the world's best heros and fighters into helicopter parents?

 

Peter looks up from his phone to meet her eyes. He huffs and tucks the device into a locker, ripping the key out of the lock when it closes, and nods to her as if apologizing for taking so long. Maria turns away after sending him a small smile to punch her code into the keypad beside the second set of doors. 

 

"This way."

 

The class' murmurings all fall away into silence when they see the long conference table and the people waiting for them: Pepper sitting at the head of the table with Happy standing to her right and her legal assistant to her left. She’s wearing an easy smile, but everything about her posture makes her look as if she’s about to start a hostile takeover. At almost every seat there’s a packet of papers and a pen. 

 

Maria herds the kids and their teacher into their places. She has Ned, MJ, and Peter hang back while the others look over the paperwork. “You three can take a seat wherever,” she says with a quick motion to the empty spaces without anything in front of them at the other end of the table. They take their seats with confused expressions that rival Flash’s as he reads the first paragraph of the document. 

 

“Welcome, Midtown. As you probably know, I’m Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. After you sign the Non Disclosure Agreements in front of you, we can begin a private, all access Q & A with myself and a few others that are about to join us,” Pepper explains to the confused students. 

 

“I’m--I’m sorry, Ms. Potts, but you can’t expect my students to sign these without their parents present,” Mr. Harrington says, words stumbling out. 

 

“Each parent or guardian that signed the permission slip for their children to attend this field trip have already agreed to this. You’d know that if you actually read the form you had each of them take home,” she replies cooly. “If anyone doesn’t wish to sign the agreement, your entire group will be escorted back to your bus.”

 

A few of the kids bite back laughs at their teacher getting owned and duck their heads to the papers. MJ sits back in her chair, propping her sketchbook open on her knee and starts making a rough sketch of Mr. Harrington looking like he’s about to swallow his tongue to refine later on. Today’s given her so many blackmail worthy expressions she hasn’t had the time to put in the details she wants. 

 

“Why don’t those three need to sign anything? Are you going to throw us out because you didn’t print enough copies?” Flash asks, pushing his file away from himself. He taps his pen against the paper, waiting for a response. 

 

“They already have signed. Peter works here as an intern and developer on some of Mr. Stark’s personal and classified projects. Ned and MJ have been previously given permission to come to the Tower to see him. Do you have any other questions…”

 

“Flash. Flash Thompson.”

 

“Of course,” Pepper says under her breath with a flick of her eyes towards Peter as she connects the dots between his stories from school and this annoyance of a person. Happy crosses his arms and watches Flash closely as he relents, signing the NDA. 

 

Pens click, papers shuffle, and chairs creak under nervous shifting; the sounds are faint on their own, but each one is building on the others to buzz through Peter’s head. Each signature scratching across the paper grates against Peter’s hearing, seeming to amplify itself as he grows tenser. His phone must be vibrating the whole wall of lockers with how much May and Mr. Stark are messaging him right now, Peter thinks. 

 

This meeting might look like some super top secret meeting with the head of Stark Industries, but he knows better. From how Maria is watching the door to how Happy looks ready to pummel Flash’s head in, he can see very clearly that it’s about him--that he’s taking up everyone’s time to deal with his stupid mistake. 

 

He nearly jumps to the ceiling when a hand brushes against his knee. Peter snaps his neck to the side.  _ Oh… _ Ned is looking at him, worried. He mouths something at him, but Peter’s eyes can’t focus long enough to make it out. This is worse than the elevator. He’s at the head of the table and knows everyone is looking his way. 

 

Suddenly, clarity jolts through his senses when two hands clap onto his shoulders. The scratching and muddled sight disappears in place of warm hands gently squeezing into his tight muscles. 

 

“Oh don’t look at me. You have papers to be reading. Nothing happening until that’s all done,” Mr. Stark says from behind him. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:   
> Flash uses derogatory terms towards trans* people at the end of this chapter. The gist of that section is Flash putting Peter down to Tony and saying he's a better choice as an intern.   
> If you wish to skip it, it's in the paragraph starting with _"How the hell would someone like Peter get a gig here?..._

Tony claps Peter’s shoulders another time before sauntering around the table towards Pepper. He ignores the kids’ stares following his every step. It’s not hard. He’s used to being watched, but not being seen. His press smile creeps across his face after he gives his fiancée a quick kiss on the cheek and turns back to the room. He nods down to their legal packets and there’s a jolt of movement of kids scribbling their names on the dotted line. Pepper refrains from rolling her eyes. It’s not the first time she’s seen his affect on people--getting them to do things without thinking through the repercussions. She may not thinks it’s fair on these kids, but she’s not sneezing at the results. Anything for Peter, after all. 

 

“Alright, thank you for all signing. You’ll be receiving copies of the documents for your parents’ records when you leave,” Pepper speaks again, motioning for her legal assistance to collect the folders. “As you have just read, anything you hear, witness, or extrapolate from your visit here at Stark Tower cannot be disclosed in any form. For example, this includes details of our research and development, the Avengers program, the specs of this room, and so on. Any breach of the terms you’ve agreed to will result in legal action.”

 

The class’ eyes widen in unison at her words.  _ Legal action  _ isn’t something anyone ever wants to hear, let alone from one of the most powerful women in the world. The Avengers really do know how to go overboard.

 

Happy steps back for Tony to take the seat beside her, affectingly making him loom over their shoulders at the room. MJ is smirking at her sketch of the scene at the other end of the table while Ned is looking at Tony with the widest eyes he can manage without straining himself. He looks ready to vibrant through the floor. MJ kicks him lightly under the table. 

 

“So, I’m hoping you have questions or this will get awkward real quick,” Tony says as he adjusts his tinted glasses. Peter eyes them warily.  _ So much for no tech in here…  _ “Oh, and uh, stick to the Stark and businessy things for now. The Avengers will be joining us in a bit to answer all those superhero ones.”

 

If Peter wasn’t frozen from emotional whiplash of today, he would let his head fall onto the table right about now. The Avengers? As in the whole team, with his class,  _ with Flash _ \--Peter wishes he never got out of bed today. 

 

MJ is this first with her hand raised. Tony nods at her.

 

“Miss Potts, in having run Stark Industries for some years now, how do you think you’ve improved the company in ways the men previously in your position didn’t?” she asks in her usual monotone, but from the barely-visible smirk on her face, Peter and Ned both know she’s loving the look of initial shock on Mr. Stark’s face. She’s never been his biggest fan, per say...especially after Peter finally opened up to them about Mr. Toomes with the building without the suit for protection. 

 

Pepper glances over to her fiance with a wide grin. “That’s an excellent question, MJ. I’m the first to operate SI under the flag of sustainable energy and technology, so there are many differences between how I’ve changed things and how Tony did when he first took hold of the company.”

 

“Most notably being the lack of death toll under your leadership, which Mr. Stark may have started by removing weapons--aside from the Avengers Program--from Stark Industries docket, but you now spearhead.” Tony looks caught between wanting to swallow his tie and bask in the praises for the love of his life--his pride versus his admiration for Pepper. Peter chokes back a laugh at his torn expression. 

 

MJ and Pepper go back and forth about details of the company. Pepper looks genuinely happy to be getting questions deeper than “what’s it like to be a woman in a man’s field?” And MJ? Well, she’s in her element.  _ She’d make a hell of a journalist _ , Peter thinks to himself. After they finish, the class relaxes a little bit and others raise their hands. Miss Hill nods to the head of the table before making her leave, seeing that they have the situation handled and she can get back to her work. 

 

It’s such a nice change seeing Mr. Stark and Miss Potts talk about their work outside of superheroing. Abe even asks Happy about his work here at SI, much to Peter’s chagrin when he mentions  _ babysitting _ with a wink in his direction. While it’s embarrassing, the familiar interaction helps him relax a little more in his seat. He pokes his hands out from the hoodie sleeves to lean his chin on them and watch the room interact. 

 

“Pete, you sure you don’t have any questions? I’ve never seen you this quiet,” Tony says when there’s a break in conversation after he and Mr. Harrington go back and forth about the specs on the building. 

 

“Uh, well I, um,” Peter sputters out, caught off guard. Ned and MJ snort at him in unison. “I-I guess you’ve answered my questions before, so I don’t need to ask any now?”

 

Tony looks down the center of the table at him over the rim of his tinted glasses. “And you have nothing that could possibly add to your fellow students educator or their trip here today?” Tony pauses just long enough for Peter to swallow reflexively at his anxiety level spiking. “Fine, kid, but don’t think this gets you out of answering questions later on. Who was next?” 

 

Betty raises her hand and Pepper nods to her. She opens her mouth, but her words are lost from an outburst from the other side of the table. 

 

“What’s going on with Parker and this place?” Flash interrupts. Betty shoots him a glare, but doesn’t try to finish her question for Miss Potts. 

 

"He's my personal intern, it's not like that fact's a secret," Tony replies. He leans back in his chair to take in Flash with his doubled-up polo shirts and all round assholery. "What were you saying, Miss..."

 

"Uh, I'm Betty. I was going to ask Miss Potts about her latest--"

 

"How the hell would someone like  _ Peter _ get a gig here? Talk about a freak. You must know there are far better options right in front of you--ones that won't be such a PR nightmare when the truth about them comes out. Oh, or were you just brought on to make SI look good to the queers, Parker? Yeah you're probably just some affirmative action sympathy case. Poor little orphan tranny taken under Tony Stark's wing."

 

Peter holds his head in his hands. Flash just had to go and open up his dumb mouth. It's like the dude has zero self-preservation instincts. The room sinks into a heavy silence around him. Back when Peter first met Tony, he may have thought some things along the line of what Flash is saying, but after actually getting an internship part to his "internship," getting to know Tony, and settling in to this weird relationship they have Flash's words don't even graze him. He's just concerning himself about the impending murder about to take place in front of his class, firmly ignoring the painful knot in his stomach over Flash’s choice of words. 

 

For how long he’s been dealing with the insults and nicknames and pushing around, Peter wishes he could say it didn’t hurt him anymore. He’s heard it all again and again. Some days are easier to let it all just roll off of him, but here in front of his friends and his mentor and in a place he considers to be a home...He blinks back the wetness pooling along his lash line. 

 

Before anyone can break the silence left by Flash’s rant, the door behind Peter whooshes open. In two long strides the person crosses the room to stop behind the asshat. Peter finally looks up between his fingers to see Loki forcefully pulling Flash out of his chair by his doubled-up popped collars with a look that could scorch the earth. 

 

“Were my words before not clear enough for you?” Loki sneers out in a hiss into Flash’s horrified face. He’s scrambling at Loki’s hands, but can’t find any purchase. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp! this is probably way more excitement than mr. harrington bargained for today. what are your thoughts? i'd love to hear from you about where you think this is all leading! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy long time no see! hope you dig it :D  
> [warning no beta here so if you see something, lemme know!]

“L-let go,” Flash sputters out as he tried to pry Loki’s fingers from his shirt. Loki just tightens his grip. The sound of the fabric giving under the pressure snaps Peter out of his shock. 

 

“I made you a promise, child, and it is one I plan to follow through with,” Loki says with a cocky smile creeping over his lips in a way Peter’s never seen in person. The expression is a mirror of the Loki he’s seen in the video archives from the Incident when he brought aliens to NYC. 

 

“Loki, let go of the kid,” Happy says, speaking up from his position behind Pepper. His tone is even, as if he’s talking to one of the receptionists about an upcoming event and not a god threatening a child, but the vein popping out of his neck and the instinctive flex of his fists gives his real feelings away. Peter knows that Happy can hold his own against anyone--he has to be able to with having been Mr. Stark’s bodyguard and now running security for SI. 

 

Happy straightens his jacket and strides around the table. He gives Loki a patient look and the god slowly releases Flash’s shirt and looks at Happy with a respectful nod practically handing the teenager over to him. Flash tries to step away from them. He makes it a few inches, but there’s nowhere else for him to go with the table behind him and his chair on the other. Happy tries to level him with a glare, but that doesn’t stop the teen from trying to get away via scrambling past his chair and straight into MJ’s. Her glare, on the other hand, stops him in his tracks. 

 

“Stop making more of a fool of yourself than usual,” she says in her patented, bored tone. “You’re already an embarrassment enough as it is.” 

 

Flash bawks at her, but can’t manage to make any words form to defend himself (or more likely, try to insult her or the situation in an unintelligent fashion).

 

“That’s enough, Miss Jones. Nothing is happening to you Flash without my okay. I’m responsible for this group and I refuse to lose another student to...circumstances,” Mr. Harrington finally pipes up. 

 

“Where was this concern when this little shit was going after Peter, huh? I’m sure as hell this isn’t the first time this has happened. You’re their teacher  _ and their coach _ ! You see them together more than the rest of your colleagues and never did anything, so excuse me if I don’t think you have a goddamn leg to stand on right now, Teach,” Tony bites out. When Peter’s seen him get mad or upset, Tony doesn't yell. Instead he gets cold and his little speech made the room’s temperature drop more than a few degrees.  

 

“For once, Stark, we agree,” Loki adds in. 

 

“Mr. Harrington,” Pepper sighs out, “you’re not in your school. You’re at Stark Industries. One of your students is verbally harassing one of my employees with hate speech. Nothing you can do or say right now is going to stop this from being dealt with immediately. If it’ll make you feel better, you can go on ahead and follow Happy and we’ll take care of the group in your stead. It’s up to you.”

 

Mr. Harrington gulps, looking fast between Flash and Mr. Stark. He blinks rapidly for a few seconds and nods to himself. He stands up, smooths down his tie with his shaky hands, and walks over to the door. “After you, sir,” he says to Happy. 

 

Loki moves first, sidling past Flash. From the look on his face, the god must be whispering something, but before Peter can think to listen in the moment’s gone and Loki brushes past the teacher--who looks ready for a nap--and back out the door. 

 

As Flash is led out the door with Happy’s hand firmly gripping his arm so he can’t try to get away again, Ned does a horrible job of covering his laugh with a cough, catching Tony’s attention. He raises an eyebrow at him and winks. Ned nearly falls out of the chair after his muscles unfreeze from being the center of Tony “Iron Man” Stark’s attention. 

 

“Now that that’s been tabled…,” Pepper trails off, taking everyone’s eyes off of the closing door and back to the head of the table. She asks Betty for her question again, going about the Q&A as if nothing had interrupted them. 

 

Peter wants to say something--to stop whatever is about to happen to Flash from happening all because of him, but the room is already moving forward under Pepper’s unyielding guidance. He tries to focus his hearing beyond the door and out to wherever Happy is bringing Flash, but he can’t hear anything past the walls of the conference room.  _ Dammit! _ He didn’t consider that Mr. Stark would improve the soundproofing after Peter “accidentally” overheard the Avengers’ plans for a mission and tried to tag along when he was supposed to be working on a project. 

 

“What was Peter doing earlier when we ran into him?” Abe asks next. 

 

Pepper shifts her focus from Abe down the long table to land on Peter. He knows that look. She's expectant. He swallows a little harshly against his suddenly dry throat. His fingers curl instinctively around his empty coffee mug for something to keep him tethered to this day that keeps getting worse every second that's passing. 

 

"Well, I'm sure he can explain that to you himself. Peter?"

 

He hates when he's right. 

 

"Oh, uh, well I was just in the training room," he says a lot faster than he means to, "using the HTI..." 

 

“That so needs a better name. I’d offer one, but my last try was BARF,” Tony quips. 

 

"I'm sure your classmates would love to hear the details about your project. Peter's the mind behind the Holographic Training Interface I'm gathering you saw him testing," Pepper says, nudging him on. 

 

“Still needs a better name,” Tony whispers this time with a glance over to her. 

 

"You made that?"

 

"Does that you mean work with the Avengers?"

 

"I thought he was just an intern..."

 

The questions all bubble out of his classmates far faster than he can think to answer. He can't even tell which ones he's meant to respond to or if they were just muttered under somebody's breath. Peter opens his mouth and looks for the source of just one of them, but his mind goes blank. What is he allowed to say about his work at SI and with the Avengers? Can they even know that he made HTI? What if talking about all this just gets people thinking about exactly what he was doing down there and how no normal teenager should be able to do what he does on the regular? They all signed the papers Pepper insisted on, but what if somebody still talked or put it all together and then his life is kaput! _Goodbye, Peter Parker._

 

Peter jumps and lets out an "Eep!" when a hand lands on his shoulder. Tony chuckles beside him. 

 

"You can tell them whatever you want about your work, kiddo. They signed their NDAs and know their lives and their families lives will practically cease to exist if they so much as whisper a hint of anything," Tony says pulling his warm eyes away from Peter to stare down each person aside from Ned, MJ, and Pepper. 

 

"O-okay, Mr. Stark, but there's really not much to talk about. I just programmed the interface to simulate possible and previous battle scenarios, run drills, and set up challenges for the Avengers since so much of what the team deals with is deadly or, at least, very harmful so training with the, like, real life versions are too dangerous to do on a regular basis. Having a holographic option just...made sense," Peter says. His fingers slip away from the Spider-Man mug so he can talk with his hands. 

 

"Oh, sure. That's what anyone would do--just create a highly detailed program for superheroes because it made sense," MJ says, taking some of the hawk-like attention away from him. She nudges him with her foot. "There is such a thing as too much humility, dumbass."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this house we stan the peter protection squad  
> coming up soon: moving on with the tour, peter's missed texts, and avengers living up to their name with a certain someone.  
> please let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh! thank you so much for reading! pls pls let me know what you think. this is my first mcu fic and i'd love to hear from you about it <3
> 
> find me on [tumblr](http://bialiencowboy.tumblr.com)


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